A last-second shot from Sebastian Thomas awarded Rhode Island a 62-59 Atlantic 10 win over George Mason on Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center. After hitting the contested jumper with less than a second to go, Thomas punctuated the contest when he made a free throw that completed the three-point play. The Patriots (10-5, 1-1 A-10), who had tied the game at 59 points apiece on their previous possession, did not have enough time to respond. Most of the action for the Rams (12-2, 1-1 A-10), who struggled to shoot the ball throughout the game, came in the final few minutes. After trailing for nearly 30 minutes, a Javonte Brown block facilitated a layup by Thomas that knotted the score up at 54-54 with 3:53 to go. On the next possession, Thomas went up and over two defenders for a floater that awarded Rhody a 56-54 lead. The teams traded a couple of points back and forth until Quentin Diboundje made it a three-point game when he hit a turnaround jump shot with three seconds left on the shot clock and just 22 seconds left in the game. Mason’s Brayden O’Connor then made a layup and converted a free throw to threaten overtime before Thomas’ heroics secured the victory. Inside the Box Score The win, Rhode Island’s first in league play, snapped URI’s four-game losing streak in its series with George Mason. Additionally, it leveled the team up to 5-5 against the Patriots at home. Rhody has now matched last season’s home win total with a 9-0 mark. The 2023-24 team was 9-8 at the Ryan Center. Guard Sebastian Thomas led the Rams with 23 points, adding three rebounds while dishing out as many assists. In the first half, he accounted for nearly half of the team’s 25 points with 12. The Providence, R.I. native has now surpassed 20 points in four straight games and five of his last six games. Center Javonte Brown set new career highs in both rebounds (13) and blocks (six). He became the first Ram to record six blocks in a game since Makhi Mitchell did so against Saint Louis on March 2, 2022. The big man also contributed nine points and made three of his four free throws. As a team, Rhode Island had one of its worst shooting performances of the season. The Rams shot .333 from the field, scoring less than 80 points for just the fourth time this year. Nearly one-third of the team’s points came from the free throw line, where the team shot .850 (17-20). Rhode Island has only shot better than that twice, doing so against Temple (.864; Dec. 21) and Yale (.900; Dec. 2). Guard Jaden House recorded all of his points from the charity stripe, where he was a perfect 6-for-6. George Mason dominated the Rams inside, earning a 42-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Patriots out-rebounded their hosts 36-34 and had six steals to URI’s three. Up Next Rhode Island will continue its home stay with a game against George Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Ryan Center. Categories: Sports